Return to the Past
by MikiMagic
Summary: The Lyoko gang is in their mid teens now. Aelita has been away studying abroad for 2 years, causing her and Jeremy to be a bit estranged. Upon her return, Jeremy has conflicting feelings about Aelita, knowing he still loves her, but is trying not to get too attached, in case she leaves again. The two get caught up in an angsty, confusing, and very heated romance.
1. Chapter 1

"Jeremy?"

"Mmf…"

"Jeremy? Wake up sleepy head…"

Jeremy slowly opened his eyes. His head felt really foggy. He must have slept all night…who was in his room?

"Jeremy…come on, time to get up."

His vision was blurry…but for some reason he could see her clearly. And hear her voice.

"Aelita…?"

Jeremy reached his hand over to his nightstand and felt around for his glasses. Finally he found them and quickly pushed them over his nose before he hastily sat up.

"Aelita?" he looked around desperately.

Nobody.

He sighed.

She was in his dreams again; it seemed like she never left his mind. She'd been away for so long…and now today was the day that she would return.

He sighed. What did he care anyway? She's the one who left him in the first place. How long would she even be here anyway? Even though they had just talked over the phone the night before, it was weird.

Jeremy mustered up the strength to get out of bed. He set his feet onto the cold floor, already feeling queasy.

iPull yourself together Jeremy…you can't do this today!/i he stood up and went to his closet.

This would be so much easier if he hadn't had dreams about her nearly every night…

BANG BANG BANG!

"Gyahh!" Jeremy nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden pounding on his door, followed by an annoying voice.

"Jeremyyyyy! Breakfasssssttttttt! If you don't come now I'll eat yours!"

Jeremy sighed.

"Hold your horses will ya, Odd?" Jeremy pulled on a blue t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts and went to the door.

Low and behold, there was Odd, grinning his stupid ass grin right in Jeremy's face. Odd's hair no longer defied gravity. He let it grow out normally, surprisingly, and had bits of blue and purple through his bangs that he continually had to brush to the side. His ears were pierced too. At least 4 piercings on each ear.

"You got enough earrings there?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah right. That's what I asked him." Ulrich popped up from behind Odd. His hair still pretty much looked the same, but he had grown tall, and so had Odd. In fact, Odd even managed to catch up to Ulrich in height. Jeremy had grown too, nearly reaching the same heights of the other two.

"You kidding? I'm getting my tongue pierced next!" Odd said almost as if he was proud of that fact.

Ulrich and Jeremy both flinched.

"What?" Odd shrugged at their expressions. "The ladies like it."

"What ladies are you after?" asked Ulrich.

"Whateverrr." Odd threw his hands up in the air and began to walk off down the hall. "I'm going to breakfast; you guys comin' or what?"

Jeremy and Ulrich exchanged looks, shrugged, then hurried to catch up with Odd.

"Sooo, how was your summer?" asked Odd.

"Pretty good." Ulrich said lightly.

"Spend time with Yumiiii?" Odd asked seductively.

Ulrich blushed, then rolled his eyes and nudged Odd.

"Yeah a little…" Ulrich mumbled, and then managed to grin. "What about you?"

"Pretty awesome." Odd smiled big. "Met a few girls, hung on the beach. What about you Einstein?" he looked over at Jeremy.

"Huh? Wha?" Jeremy looked up, a bit dazed.

"Wow, talk about spaced much?" Odd laughed. "You're nervous about today aren't you?"

"Nervous? Why would I be nervous?" Jeremy asked defensively.

"Well we start 11th grade today. Of course it's a bit nerve wracking, right Ulrich?"

Ulrich only shrugged, while Jeremy somewhat got annoyed.

"It's just another year…it's not that big of a deal Odd."

"Well okay, if you aren't worried about the future of your career and that we are coming up to our last years in high school, then it's gotta be something else….hm?" Odd looked at Jeremy.

Jeremy only sighed.

"It's Aelita isn't it?" asked Ulrich.

Jeremy stopped walking, and then turned to the other boys.

"I'm fine with it! So she wants to come back to Kadic, big deal! She's already been gone for a year and a half, and I'm fine! Why do you guys get so weird when we talk about Aelita….geez!" Jeremy walked ahead, leaving Odd and Ulrich a little confused.

"He's nervous." said Odd nonchalantly.

"You think?" asked Ulrich, still looking after Jeremy.

"I mean think about it…Aelita just leaves him to study abroad. Kinda broke him in the beginning remember? They even fought about it…badly."

"Oh yeah, I remember….who could forget that fight?" Ulrich sighed. "But Aelita wanted him to go with her."

"Yeah, but Einstein wanted to stay…I guess he wanted to finish up here, but Aelita wanted to see more of the world."

"Yeah…and the long distance thing didn't work…you think Jeremy still has feelings for Aelita?"

Odd shrugged.

"Hell if I know. All I know is I'm starved." Odd continued walking to the cafeteria and Ulrich followed.

As soon as they reached the cafeteria, the two were greeted by a familiar face.

"Where have you two been? I was waiting!" Yumi smiled. She had pretty much kept her same hairstyle, only with side bangs now. She wore a dark purple plaid skirt and a black tank top with a silver chained necklace. She kept the trademark black boots. Ulrich's face nearly lit up when he saw her as she hurried over to him. He was now taller than she, which still took some getting used to.

"Well, where's my love?" asked Ulrich with his arms open. Yumi rolled her eyes and fit herself into Ulrich's arms, getting wrapped in a tight hug, but not before getting a surprise kiss on the lips. Just a quick one though.

Yumi blushed.

"I missed you." Ulrich said quietly, only to her.

"Don't be stupid, you saw me over the summer." Yumi smiled.

"Yeah, but not enough." Ulrich said playfully and held her close with his arm around her hips, causing her to blush and laugh a little.

"HEY HEY! Stern! Ishiyama! Watch it with the PDA!" Jim in all of his glory appeared behind them, barking orders as usual. Hey, it was his specialty after all.

"Awww Jimbo cut em' a break! They've been together for almost 2 years don't you know?" Odd protested and grinned.

"What did I say about calling me Jimbo? And wow…2 years? Ahem…well congratulations then you two."

"Thanks Jim." Yumi smiled.

"But if I catch you too…I dunno, making out or dry humping or whatever it is you sick kids do these days, I'll have to start handing out referrals, ya hear?" Jim said before walking away, leaving horrified faces on the two at his strange comment.

"Yeah guys, no dry humping!" Odd began to make pelvic thrust movements. "Unf unf unffffff!"

Yumi and Ulrich blushed.

"Shut up Odd!" Ulrich growled.

"You're such a freak…" Yumi mumbled as she turned her back.

"Nice to see you again too!" Odd walked over to the lunch line. Yumi looked up and saw Jeremy and immediately hugged him as well.

This managed to put a smile on Jeremy's face…finally.

"You cut your hair." Yumi smiled.

"Yeah, it was getting kind of long…"

"How was your summer?" she asked as the three began to walk to a table.

"Same old, I guess." Jeremy said a bit quietly.

Yumi could see he was not himself…like he was upset about something.

"So, when does Aelita's flight come in again?" she spoke up.

This stirred Jeremy a little.

"Oh yeah…what did she say…um…" Jeremy pulled out a small notepad from his pack and opened it up.

"Hmm…ah. 5:30 this evening." Jeremy said.

"You don't sound too enthused." Yumi cocked her head.

"I'm fine."

Yumi didn't say anything else.

"So we get to use the car, right Yumi?" asked Ulrich.

"Oh yeah, it's totally cool with me."

Odd set his tray down and got in on the conversation.

"Can I drive?"

"NO!" everyone nearly said at once.

"Why not?" he whined.

"How about you're barely16 and have already gotten your license suspended twice?" asked Jeremy.

"Or that you drive at 104 miles an hour?" asked Ulrich.

"Or that you like to drive while drunk?" asked Yumi.

"Hey! My license got suspended because the cops were being assholes. I don't drive 104 miles an hour, it's more like 90. And I don't drive drunk! Just a little tipsy that's all…"

Everyone sighed in unison.

"You know, it really breaks my heart that you, my own best friends, don't trust me behind the wheel." He looked at Yumi with puppy dog eyes.

"No. You are NOT driving my car and that's that."

Odd rolled his eyes. "Fine." He grumbled and began to dig into his breakfast

Yumi sighed and looked over at Jeremy. He looked really out of it.

She put a hand on his arm and he looked up at her.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked gently.

Jeremy looked down, the back at Yumi.

"I'm alright, really..." He said and stood up. "I have to go. See you guys later." And he walked off.

The three just stared after him.

"Man…Poor Jeremy." Odd said; his mouth full of oatmeal.

"He's still hung up on Aelita isn't he?" asked Yumi.

"We think he is." Ulrich ripped off a piece of his croissant. "But he won't talk about it."

Yumi sighed. "Well, let's hope Aelita coming back to Kadic will lift his spirits a little."

"You think they'll get back together?" Ulrich looked up.

"I don't know…"

Meanwhile Jeremy sat in an empty classroom. He was early and nobody else was present yet, not even the teacher. But he had to be alone.

_Stop thinking of Aelita….stop thinking of Aelita….stop thinking of Aelita!_

Jeremy had to pound these thoughts into his head all morning. He would be seeing her again tonight…after a year and a half of barely speaking and no visual contact…she soon would be back again; back at school and back in his life. He wondered how she looked…did she still look the same? Idiot…she probably grew a bit at least…would she still act the same?

He sighed.

He had to get her out of his head…it wasn't worth making himself sick over.

It wasn't a big deal. Aelita was returning, so what? Let her come back. It wasn't going to affect him at all…

Not one bit…he hoped.


	2. Chapter 2

Jeremy leaned his head up against the car window as the radio blasted some new song by the SubDigitals. He was sitting in the back seat next to Odd as he head banged and jammed out to the music, even humming and singing along. Yumi was at the wheel driving and Ulrich was sitting in front of Jeremy in the passenger's seat, moving his head to the beat of the song. Yumi often looked into the rearview mirror back at Jeremy, who could still tell he was a bit nervous about later. She remembered having a brief conversation with him earlier, just the two of them, right before they took off for the airport.

i "Jeremy? Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah…why wouldn't I be?"

"You just…hm…"

"What?"

"You haven't been yourself lately…I mean, if you don't mind me saying…after Aelita called a few days ago."

"I'm fine Yumi…really…"

"I know you keep saying that, but we've been friends for quite a while now…and I know when you're lying."

"…"

"…Jeremy?"

"…Okay fine…I'm not exactly...I 'm not exactly okay. I'm not in the best mood either. I know I should be happy that Aelita is coming back but…Yumi I just don't know how to feel! She just went and….she just went and left me!"

"Jeremy, I think you need to see her…"

"What? Weren't you just listening?"

"You need to sort this out with her yourself. You need to talk to her alone. I'm not saying you guys have to get back together, I mean, people change throughout the years…I'm just saying you need answers and closure. Plus if Aelita does decide to stay, then maybe you two should have a civil relationship at least? Come on Jeremy…after all you two have been through together? You're just going to throw it away like it meant nothing at all?"

"That's just it Yumi…I did everything for her. I brought her to this world…I helped her uncover her past without any hesitation…I never once denied her anything. I mean, I may have been strict sometimes…and other times I know I didn't let her do everything by herself…but that was only because I was trying to look out for her. Yumi, her life here was so fragile at first! I just want to protect her because I love-"

Silence.

"Jeremy…you need to talk to her…"

"Mmm…"

"Just think about it…okay?" /i

"Jeremy? Jeremyyyy? Wake up dude!"

"Huh? Wha?"

Jeremy opened his eyes to find his head pushed against the window in the back seat. His blonde locks were a bit disheveled and his glasses were hanging halfway off of his face. He quickly sat up and shook his head, trying to wake up all of the way. He adjusted his glasses and looked beside him to see Odd's obnoxious nose ring in his face.

"What the hell Odd? Back off!" Jeremy shoved Odd's face away.

"Sorrrryyyy! Just trying to wake you up. We're here!"

Jeremy suddenly began to panic.

"Wh-what? Already?"

"It was a 2 hour drive Jeremy." Ulrich pointed out.

"Yeah, but you slept the whole way!" Odd laughed. "You really have been sleeping a lot, haven't you Einstein? You gotta stop with this new depressed personality of yours."

"I'm not depressed Odd."

"You're totally depressed!"

Jeremy only sighed.

"But hey, you'll be seeing Aelita soon, so hopefully that puts a smile back onto your face-!"

Ulrich punched Odd hard in the shoulder before he could finish.

"What the hell Ulrich?"

"Shut up about Aelita!" Ulrich growled under his breath.

"Oh shit…" Odd slapped a hand to his face.

"Can we just go please?" Jeremy pushed past the boys and went to walk with Yumi, who was shaking her head in disapproval at the two.

"Thanks a lot Odd." Ulrich mumbled as they began following behind them. "Now Yumi's pissed at me too."

"Eh she'll get over it when you two have your alone time later." Odd said nonchalantly, causing Ulrich to turn red as a beat.

"I will seriously punch you again, and this time in that stupid nose ring." He growled.

"Go ahead, but get it out of your system now or airport security will be all over you." Odd smiled sarcastically.

Ulrich only glared at Odd and then sighed. He was a real pain in the ass sometimes.

About 10 minutes later, the four were waiting in the Baggage Claim area. Aelita's flight had already landed; they were just waiting to meet her and help her with her luggage. Yumi and Ulrich talked, while Odd kept interrupting them, pestering for food because he was hungry and had no money. Jeremy kept quiet and to himself, trying not to show that he was a nervous wreck. He had not seen Aelita in nearly two years. He's barely talked to her either…

"Aelita!" Yumi called out, waving her hand.

Jeremy snapped out of his thoughts and looked up. There, running over to Yumi…it was her. Her dressed flowed as she rushed over to them, a cute little ensemble that went just a tad bit above her knees. She wore rain boots that had a really cool black and white pattern design on them, and had a small bag over her shoulder. But the most different thing about her was her hair…it was longer. It was reaching shoulder length and laid so nicely around her face that it made her look very appealing. It was still the same pinkish orange color it's always been, but again, more appealing. And there were other things about her that definitely showed she had grown up…and Jeremy already felt like some weird pervert for noticing.

"Yumi!" Aelita was nearly in tears as she tightly embraced Yumi. The hugged for a couple of seconds before Yumi spoke.

"How are you?"

"I'm great! I can't believe I'm here!" Aelita laughed and they shared another hug.

"What's goin' on Princess?" Odd grinned.

"Odd? Is that you?"

"The one and only." He bowed, his arms stretched out.

Aeilta wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"You've gotten so tall!"

"So have you princess!" Odd squeezed her tight and lifted her up, causing her to laugh out loud before he set her back down.

"And strong too!" Aelita laughed.

"Glad you took notice." Odd grinned again.

"Cool nose ring by the way." Aelita looked closely at the small hoop in his nose.

"See? Aelita appreciates a good piercing when she sees one-!" Odd was then pushed out of the way by Ulrich.

"Yep, he's still as stupid as ever." Ulrich shook his head.

"Hey!" Odd whined.

"Ulrich…" Aelita hugged him tightly. "Look at you; so handsome!"

"Awww come on Princess…" Ulrich scratched the back of his head and blushed.

"Are you treating Yumi well?"

"Of course!" Ulrich put his arm around Yumi's waist and pulled her close.

"I thought you would." Aelita laughed. She then noticed him. He was hiding behind everyone else, but definitely did not go unnoticed.

"I see you hiding back there." She said softly. The other three looked at each other, and then moved aside as Aelita walked over to Jeremy.

"Aelita…" Jeremy gulped nervously. "Hey…"

He had grown so tall. She used to be a tad bit taller then him, but now, about two years later, he was looking down at her.

"You look so different."

"Really? I don't think I've changed that much…"

"Your hair is so short!"

"It was getting kind of long…"

"Your glasses are different."

"I needed some new ones."

"You're tall!"

"Boys grow?" Jeremy felt like he was being asked 20 questions…when he realized he wasn't even looking at Aelita, but his feet. Was he really ithat/i nervous that he couldn't even look at her? He took a breath and lifted his head. She was even more beautiful up close…she really had grown up. Those teal eyes were staring directly into his.

"You look…you look lovely." Jeremy choked out. He blushed immediately. He did not just say that to her….

Another second didn't even go by before Aelita caught him in a snug embrace.

She said nothing, and only continued to hug him.

Jeremy was, at first, taken aback. He didn't return the hug right away, but after a few seconds, he slowly, and somewhat reluctantly, wrapped his arms around her. She was getting to him. She hadn't even been back for more then ten minutes and she was already getting to him. They were no longer together as a couple…but this was causing many memories to come flooding back.

They hugged for a few more seconds, and then broke apart. The boys grabbed whatever luggage she had, and that was it. They walked through the airport, with Aelita talking to everyone about Venice, and London, and New York City and all of the other millions of places she's traveled to over the past couple of years. She talked about her studies in music, art, and computer science. She talked about different Universities already offering scholarships to her…and the list went on. As they got to the car, Odd and Ulrich loaded her luggage into the trunk. Jeremy had said nothing the whole walk.

"Do you wanna sit in front Aelita?" Ulrich asked.

"Oh no, that's alright Ulrich. You sit up front with Yumi."

"Are you sure?" Yumi asked. "You don't have to sit next to Odd. Remember he likes to take his shoes off during long car rides?"

Everyone flinched.

"What? My feet get hot and uncomfortable!" Odd whined.

"Well if you take your shoes off I may have to throw you out the window Odd." Aelita smiled…but somehow that smile was threatening.

"She'd do it too…" Odd shrank back as Yumi and Ulrich laughed.

As Yumi and Ulrich returned to their original seats up front, Aelita sat squished in between Odd and Jeremy, causing shoulders to touch; this made Jeremy nervous all over again. He shook off the feeling, continuously denying that he felt anything for her still. Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi continued to ask her questions about her travels and studies. She talked for a long time about the places she's been and her favorites. She then began to ask about life back at Kadic and how everyone had been fairing.

After an hour of driving, Yumi decided to stop at a gas station to fill up while Odd ran desperately to the bathroom to take a pee.

"Hey we're going inside to get some snacks. You guys want anything?" Ulrich asked, looking back at Jeremy and Aelita.

"I'm alright." Jeremy shrugged.

"Could you get a juice for me please?" Aelita fumbled around in her shoulder bag and took out some money, handing it to Ulrich. Ulrich only held up his hand.

"Nope, it's on me Princess." He smiled.

"Ulrich…" Aelita tried to protest, but Ulrich wouldn't have it. The three made their way inside, leaving Aelita and Jeremy alone in the car. There a brief silence among them for a moment, followed by a bit of awkwardness.

"So…" Aelita spoke up.

"Yeah…" Jeremy mumbled.

More silence.

"…Jeremy?"

"Yes…?"

"Are you…happy to see me?"

Jeremy blushed, but tried to hide it.

"Yeah…I guess…"

"You guess? What does that mean?"

"It means I guess okay?"

"Why are you being like this? You barely greet me and then you don't even speak to me...are you angry with me?"

"I'm…no…I mean…yes…I don't know anymore…"

"You're angry because I left."

"I'm not angry…"

"Jeremy…"

"I'm not angry Aelita! Damn it!" Jeremy snapped.

Aelita was quiet for a moment, a bit surprised at Jeremy's outburst. Jeremy then felt bad for yelling at her like that. He hesitated to apologize, expecting Aelita to yell back like she usually would have…but nothing.

"Aelita…I'm…sorry…I didn't mean to…yell…"

Aelita was still silent.

"Aelita?"

"I wanted to…see the world. Was that so wrong Jeremy?"

"Huh…?"

"All of my life…I've been trapped. All I've ever known was Lyoko. I finally get a chance to get out there and see this world…is that such a bad thing?"

"…No…it's not…"

"Then why are you being like this?"

"Because-! You just…you just left!" Jeremy's voice shook. "Did you ever even think about me Aelita? Maybe I wanted you here! You ever think of that?"

"I wanted you to come with me!"

"I didn't want to go! I wanted to stay ihere!/i I belong ihere!/i"

"Okay! So we went our own separate ways! So why are you still so angry? In fact if anyone should be angry, it should be me!"

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"You just stopped talking to me!" Aelita's eyes suddenly began to well up with tears, of which Jeremy immediately noticed.

"You stopped writing…you never even bothered to call me…or Skype…nothing."

"I…I assumed you didn't want anything to do with me anymore…"

Aelita blinked, causing tears to roll down her cheeks.

"Huh! How could someone so intelligent be so…so stupid!" she cried. "Why would I not want anything to do with you?! You were my first friend! My only friend. You saved me Jeremy…you were my best friend…and I loved you…why would you ever think that I wouldn't want anything to do with you?" She was staring at him again, with those piercing teal eyes, now reddened and full of tears.

"…I wasn't angry." Jeremy said softly. "I was hurt Aelita…"

That was all he said before Aelita turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, weeping softly.

This time, Jeremy didn't hesitate to embrace her. He held her close, burying his face into her hair.

"I should have wrote you…" he said softly. "I'm sorry…"

"I'm sorry too Jeremy…I really am…" her voice was muffled from her face being pressed against his shoulder.

Nothing more was said, although the question in Jeremy's mind was constantly asking if they were ever going to have their old relationship back. He knew they were just kids back then and that people change. The only thing that mattered was that Aelita was here; and as far as he knew now, they were making amends and were working towards being friends again. But there was still a very strong lingering feeling in his heart.

He loved her. Too much for his own good. But he couldn't tell her that; not after all of this. Regardless of how he was feeling, he didn't want a love relationship with Aelita. It would just be too weird. They did need to be friends though…and maybe, hopefully, they could get their old relationship back. She was the best friend he's ever had…and he was the first friend she's ever had. They owed each other that much.

Meanwhile, Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd were making their way back to the car.

"I'm never bringing you to another rest stop again." Yumi sighed.

"Whad' I do now?" Odd asked, carrying many bags of gas station snacks.

"You took forever in that stupid line! Did you ihave/i to buy all of that food?" Ulrich asked, clearly annoyed and fed up with Odd for the day.

"I've been starving since the airport! You guys wouldn't let me get anything there!"

"Which reminds me, you owe me some money."

"What? Some friend you are!"

"Cut it out guys. Let's just get going." Yumi removed the gas pump and began filling up the car. Ulrich opened the back door and handed the juice towards Aelita.

"Hey Aelita I got you Fruit Punch…" Ulrich stopped and looked at Aelita. She was fast asleep, her head resting on Jeremy's shoulder. Jeremy was also dozed off, his head resting against the window. Ulrich smiled as he noticed the two were holding hands.

"Well look at that."

Yumi and Odd both peaked into the back seat.

"Awww how precious! Like little love birds." Odd cooed. "And damn, they fell asleep fast!"

"Well Aelita had a really long flight…" Yumi said.

"And Einstein's been a napping machine lately. I swear it's like his new past time or something." Odd dug a candy bar out of one of his bags and carefully began to unwrap it.

"You think they made up?" asked Ulrich.

"I don't know." Yumi cocked her head. "I mean, I'm sure they did…but not in that way."

"Really? How can you tell?" asked Odd.

"I can just tell these things."

"Do you think they'll get back together?" Ulrich buckled up his seat belt.

"I don't know…that's up to them. Maybe for now, being friends is enough for them." Yumi looked in the rearview mirror at the two napping. It was a very sweet sight. She really hoped things would turn out for the best with them.

Aelita snuggled up closer to Jeremy…

He was in her dreams again, as he had been every night for months.

_I love you Aelita._


End file.
